NSF Intl. Certifies First Plant for Reactivated Carbon

NSF Intl. granted its first certification for reactivated carbon used in water treatment this week. Calgon Carbon Corporation’s plant in Blue Lake, Calif., is the first to receive certification for NSF/ANSI Standard 61, which verifies that the reactivated carbon is safe for reuse in municipal water treatment applications, such as those used to treat river, lake or well water to make it potable for humans.

Municipal water treatment plants use activated carbon media to reduce organic compounds and contaminants in drinking water, and this carbon media needs to be periodically replaced. Rather than disposing spent media in a landfill, the media can be reactivated, which removes contaminants and allows it to be reused by municipal water treatment facilities. Certification to NSF/ANSI 61 ensures the reactivated media reused by municipal water treatment plants meet national requirements for health and safety.

NSF/ANSI Standard 61: Drinking Water System Components - Health Effects outlines requirements for regenerated/reactivated water treatment media, including inspections of regeneration facilities as well as periodic testing of regenerated media by an accredited certifying organization. NSF/ANSI 61 also requires that the regeneration/reactivation facilities have a robust quality system, ongoing evaluations of contaminants in the raw source water, and an evaluation of the regeneration process to verify removal of these contaminants.

Reactivation is a high-temperature thermal process, whereby spent water filtration media can be safely and cost-effectively treated and reused. During the reactivation process, absorbed organic compounds and contaminants are destroyed, and the reactivated carbon’s filtration capacity is restored. Reactivation also is better for the environment, significantly reducing the carbon dioxide footprint associated with the production, supply and use of virgin activated carbon.